Wichita eagle., 1887-02-23
'PERILS OF BATHING.
SOME OF THE PERILS OF THE
"SOAKING OUT" HABIT.

Inc LONDON DAILY news recently con-
tanned al account Of a death III the fashion,
able City Roads Turkish baths of that city.
James Francis, a popular comedian, entered
the baths about 10 o'clock in the morning. He
was an old customer, calling regularly two or
three times week. On the morning in QueS-
ton he told the bath keeper that he had been
out at a party all night and felt 'seedy."
Shortly after entering the bath lie fell asleep.
About / o'clock in the afternoon the bath
keeper found Francis insensible, but breath
ing heavily. The room was heated to 120 de
grees. Francis was at once removed to a
cooler room, and restoratives were applied,
but the comedian expired few minutes
later He was 4j years old and apparently O
strong man. A post norton examination
showed that his heart was very fatty, and
death had resulted from syncope. 1t the
coroner's inquest the bathkeeper said it was a
very common thing for customers to sleep
in the baths. Some of them went especially
for that purpose. The bathkeeper did not
consider it dangerous in the case OF robust
men. The coroner, who seems to have been
an unusually intelligent person for his class,
took very decided exception to this state
mert, and read the bathkeeper rather
wholesome little lecture. He said the case OF
Francis was not the first death he had known
in a Turkish bath, and he considered the prac-
tee Of sleeping in the heated rooms extremely
dangerous. 1T is most seductive, l know"
he said, "for Il man in a profuse perspiration
and without garments to lie down and sleep.
That may be all very well for the indolent
Turks, but not for busting Englishmen, and
/ believe a good many persons use these baths
70 iaaY, ha ay-a,piCyhf-- "
THE DANGER OF IT.
Il quite agree with the coroner there said
the proprietor OF stylish Turkish bath in
this city, to whom l showed the article from
The News How much danger there may be
in sleeping in the baths do not pretend to
say. 1t would, of course, be poor business
policy for me to confess that the danger is
great. But that many men use the baths to
sleep off the effects Of liquor there is 10 room
to deny. Young bloods and men about town
all know what it IS to soak out in a Turkish
bath. Whenever fellow feels what it IS
more genteel to call just q bit rocky after
half a dozen bottles of wine, a brandy frapee
or two, an occasional sherry cobbler or pousse
cafe, three or four cocktails and q casual gin
tizz or an absinthe drip or julep, he drops
around here and soaks out for a couple OF
hours He comes as near sutfocating as it is
possible for the vapors to bring him without
producing that undesirable result. and per-
spires until every drop of malt, vinous, spirit
ituous or other alcoholic beverage oozes
through his skin. He sleeps if he likes. Then
he is rubbed down, takes thimbleful of
brandy, Just to help along the circulation,
you know lights cigarette and energies APP
, laiSx Of Prob
ably within twelve hours, or twenty-four at
the outside, he will have run the bibulous
gamut second time and then he must be
soaked out again.
Il am not saying anything against the
habits of gentlemen who indulge in this prac-
tice, mind you; but you would be surprised
to know how many adopt the soaking out
method of SOLDERING up. Some real nice old
men, who occasionally are detained by urgent
business until late in New York, roll in here
on their way home now and then. They
always leave feeling and smelling much bet
ter than when they came in. Probably their
wives would as soon think Of looking for
them in state prison as i'll a Turkish bath If
the old fellows should get lost for few
hours, but | would call at all the baths in
town before looked elsewhere, provided the
hour was after that OF saloon closing.
\ PHYSICIANS TESTIMONY.
But it is hardly fair to single ont the few
nice old gentlemen who soak ont In the baths,
and those who use them as means of con-
cealment of their potations. By far the
greatest patronage is from young swells,
semi-high-toned toughs, well seasoned loun-
gers, with much time and money on their
hands, and other fellows, who drink because
they like it and have no higher ambition,
soak out 50 that they can drink again and
drink SO that it viii be necessary to soak out
once more. They all stay in the baths from
one to three hours, and most of them take
nap during the hath"
This repeated soaking out process, said
we'll known physician, whose opinion | as ed,
us extremely enervating II kept up for
few years it is bound to leave the subject a
physical wreck When he reaches 80. pro-
vided he survives the continued drain on his
system that long, to say nothing of the or
gallc debility and ultimate collapse produced
by constant and excessive drinking, he viii
be a thin blooded, tremulous old rantaloon.
In vapor bath, whether it be called Turkish,
Russian. Roman, American or what not, the
human body Is necessarily under abnormal
conditions. All the pores of the skin are sud-
denly opened, and the resultant action is to
unnaturally facilite their secretions. Once III q
fortnight, or even weekly, this may be bene-
fetal As daily thing it is disastrous. II
not only renders the person liable to colds and
other constitutional shocks. from the constant
dlstenSion of the pores beyond their natural
degree. but the direct and extravagant drain
age through them OF their functional organs
is killing This is especially true in the case of
the man who soaks out after debauch. He
leaves the bath refreshed and buoyant. That
is because the liquor il him has been severed
Off through the pores. It should have passed
through the kidneys and liver, which are
weakened in being excited up to the pitch
necessary to perform their duties and then
robbed OF the privilege. Beside this, the
stomach and lungs are affected, and even the
heart comes in for a share of the general
damage. The hi III temperature, together with
the confessed overwork Of all the organs,
neceSsitates an extra quantity Of blood to
keep the machinery moving. That, in turn,
compels the heart TO work harder and wear
itself out the sooner. Cases of death are not
infrequent. | have known five in my ez-
perience-two il this city and three IN New
York And ! have heard of others Cor.
Brooklyn Eagle